The three Niagara dailies (Niagara Falls Review, St. Catharines Standard and Welland Tribune) reported on the provincial government’s moratorium on post-secondary institutions’ international activities and its impact on Niagara College’s assessment of potential repercussions for its Saudi Arabia campus and future partnership agreements.
President Sean Kennedy is quoted in the article: “We’re still really in the process of assessing what it might mean.”
Since opening its campus in Saudi Arabia, the article highlights NC has gained valuable experience in operating branch campuses and aimed to use this knowledge to establish training centers and campuses in other countries. However, the government moratorium halts the College’s ability to proceed with and negotiate new agreements.
“We (consult) with governments and other colleges and technical institutes around the world (the Caribbean, South America, Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East) because there’s such a demand from other governments to better understand our model in terms of industry-driven training and technical vocational education training,” said Kennedy.
The article also highlights that over the years, the college has trained about 10,000 Saudi students, including more than 6,000 women, in fields such as graphic design, technology, and HVAC technology.
“In a country that women had been really disadvantaged and are now having opportunities to enter the workforce, to be able to support their hopes and dreams by giving them the training that they need to be employed has been very rewarding,” said Kennedy.
Read the August 30 St. Catharines Standard article here.
